WRIS Data Sharing Agreement (as amended, April 9, 2008)
This Agreement is entered into this ___ day of ______, 2009, by and among the
(SUIA)______, and the
(SUIA Agency Name)
(PACIA)______, and the
(PACIA Agency Name)
(PACIA)______
(Additional PACIA Agency Name – if applicable)
of the State of ______and the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
I. Purpose
The Wage Record Interchange System (WRIS) has been developed to facilitate the interstate exchange of wage data between participating states for the purpose of assessing and reporting on state and local performance for programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), under other statutory provisions authorizing programs identified as One-Stop partners in the WIA, and for other purposes allowed under law. More specifically, the WRIS: 1) assists states in assessing the performance of individual training providers and state employment and training programs; 2) supports states in preparing and submitting reports to the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) regarding the performance of workforce investment programs and activities authorized under the WIA, or under other statutory provisions that are referenced in the WIA as authorizing programs identified as One-Stop partners; and 3) supports research and evaluation efforts authorized under the terms of this Agreement.
The purpose of this Agreement is to establish and implement the operating conditions and procedures that will govern the participation of the state agencies holding wage data (referred to as SUIAs), the state Performance Accountability and Customer Information Agencies (PACIAs) and the USDOL - Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in the WRIS and to establish certain conditions and procedures, consistent with 20 CFRPart 603, that are intended to protect the confidentiality of information disclosed among the participating parties through the WRIS.
II. Legal Authority
The legal authority to establish this agreement is derived from Section 136(f)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-220), which requires states to use wage records, consistent with State law, for performance measurement purposes. This section also authorizes the Secretary to make arrangements, consistent with State law, to ensure that the wage records of any state are available to any other state, to the extent they are necessary for carrying out a state’s state plan or completing their annual report.
The authority for workforce investment system reporting is derived from Section 136(d) and Section 185 of the WIA.
As required by the WIA, all data exchange activity conducted through the WRIS will be conducted in a manner consistent with both the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and with applicable State law. Further, the WRIS will be administered in accordance with Section 504(b) of the WIA, which prohibits the development of a national database of personally identifiable information on individuals receiving workforce investment services while allowing activities that are necessary to the proper administration and management of such programs.
III. Parties to the Agreement
The following are the parties to this Agreement:
A. “SUIA” is the state agency that holds wage data, whether or not such agency also administers the state’s unemployment insurance program.
B. “PACIA” is the Performance Accountability and Customer Information Agency designated by the governor to be responsible for coordinating the state’s program for assessing state and local program performance, and evaluating training provider performance as required under the WIA.
C. “ETA” is the Employment and Training Administration, United States Department of Labor. ETA is responsible for carrying out the standards, policies, programs, and activities of the Department of Labor, including grant making and contract procurement activities in accordance with existing governmental and Departmental regulations, relating to workforce development activities under a variety of Federal laws including title III, title IX, title XI, and title XII of the Social Security Act of 1935, as amended (42 USC 501-504, 42 USC 1101-1110, 42 USC 1320b-7, and 42 USC 1321-1324), the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended (29 USC 49 et seq.), and WIA.
ETA is also responsible for the overall management and administration of the WRIS on behalf of all participating states, including providing the grant resources to support the operational infrastructure of WRIS -which is based on the Interstate Communications Network - to allow the exchange of wage data through the WRIS.
IV. Definitions
The following terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings set forth below:
A. “Aggregate Data” is data that has been stripped of any information that would identify the individual(s) to whom the data pertains, including but not limited to, name and Social Security Number (SSN), and that have been aggregated into a group(s) containing no fewer than three records, provided however, that nothing herein shall prevent a PACIA from observing a more stringent aggregation policy with regard to its own use and reporting of data.
B. “Aggregate statistical reports” are reports containing aggregate data.
C. “Agreement” is this WRIS Data Sharing Agreement, including any amendments.
D. “DDBI” is the Distributed Database Index, an index of all SSNs for which wages have been reported to participating states over a period of up to eight quarters. The DDBI contains three information items for each entry: SSN, quarter for which wages were reported, and the state that holds the wage record. Participating states continuously update the DDBI, in accordance with a schedule maintained by the Operations Contractor.
E. “Disclose” or “Disclosure” refers to the release of Wage Data in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
F. “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),” 20 USC 1232g, is a federal statute protecting an individual’s right to privacy of his/her educational records.
G. “ICON” is the InterstateCommunications Network, a nationwide telecommunications system used by SUIAs to transmit information for unemployment insurance and related program purposes. ICON is the infrastructure used by WRIS to allow for the exchange of Wage Data.
H. “Operations Contractor” is the entity responsible for the technical operation and maintenance of the WRIS Clearinghouse hardware and software, for providing technical support to states participating in the WRIS, and for assisting ETA with its WRIS management and administrative functions.
I. “Query” describes an inquiry seeking Wage Data sent from the WRIS Clearinghouse to the SUIA in a participating state.
J. “Reply” is a response from a SUIA to a Query.
K. “Request” is a request for Wage Data received by the WRIS.
L. “Result” describes the Wage Data transmitted from the WRIS Clearinghouse to a PACIA in response to a Request.
M. “State” includes all fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
N. “Wage Data” means individually identifiable information reported quarterly by employers as required by Section 1137(a)(3) of the Social Security Act including, but not limited to, employer names and employee names, SSNs, and associated wages.
O. “Wagner-Peyser programs” are those programs authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act, 29 USC 49 et seq.
P. “WIASRD” is the standardized records on individual participants that states must submit to the Secretary of Labor for clients receiving services under the WIA, per Section 185(a)(3).
Q. “WRIS” is the Wage Record Interchange System, an automated system for facilitating the exchange of Wage Data between participating states for the purpose of assessing the performance of individual training providers and state employment and training programs; preparing and submitting reports to the USDOL regarding the performance of workforce investment programs and activities authorized under the WIA, or under other statutory provisions that are referenced in the WIA as authorizing programs identified as One-Stop partners; supporting research and evaluation efforts, and for other purposes allowed under law.
R. “WRIS Clearinghouse” is the location of the central processing operation through which WRIS Requests, Queries, Replies, and Results are processed. The WRIS Clearinghouse is operated by the Operations Contractor.
V. WRIS Governance
A WRIS Advisory Group will be established to provide a venue for communication, discussion of WRIS operations, recommendations for improvement, and other WRIS-related policy and operational issues.
A. Membership: The Advisory Group shall consist of:
1. Signatory states: Each state that is a party to the Agreement may designate up to two (2) representatives, who must be state employees, to represent its state on the Advisory Group.
2. Employment and Training Administration: ETA shall designate one (1) officer or employee representative to the Advisory Group. Additionally, ETA shall provide up to five (5) staff to support the Advisory Group as part of ETA’s roles and responsibilities defined in Subsection C below and elsewhere in the Agreement.
3. Operations Contractor: The WRIS Operations Contractor will be invited to participate in the Advisory Group meetings, but will not be an official member of the Advisory Group.
B. Meetings and Communication:
1. The Advisory Group will convene each calendar quarter. Meetings will be held in-person biannually and via conference call during the two calendar quarters an in-person meeting isn’t scheduled. In-person meetings will be held in conjunction with other meetings to conserve state travel resources to the extent possible.
2. Additional in-person meetings or conference calls may be convened upon the majority concurrence of the Advisory Group.
C. Roles and Responsibilities:
1. Signatory States: Shall be active participants in the Advisory Group, and shall provide timely feedback as requested.
2. Employment and Training Administration:
a) Will provide timely logistical support to the Advisory Group: e.g., notice of meetings, draft agendas, meeting minutes.
b) After each meeting or call, ETA shall provide a draft of the meeting report or conference call no later than five (5) business days after the meeting or call. Advisory Group members will have five (5) business days to comment on the draft, or provide their concurrence.
VI. Responsibilities of the Parties
The parties shall have the following responsibilities in connection with the operation, management and administration of the WRIS:
A. SUIAs shall be responsible for:
1. Providing ETA with forms properly executed by all SUIA employees authorized to respond to WRIS Queries in which such employees acknowledge their understanding of the confidential nature of WRIS data, the standards and guidelines for the handling of such dataas discussed in Section VIIIof this Agreement, and their obligation to comply with such standards and guidelines in carrying out their WRIS duties.
2. Transmitting to the Operations Contractor, on a quarterly basis, the SSNs of all individuals for whom employers have reported wages for inclusion in the DDBI. The SSNs shall be submitted no later than the quarterly upload date set by the Operations Contractor and shall cover a period established by the Operations Contractor.
3. Providing appropriate data to all other states participating in the WRIS by responding to Queries for Wage Data received through the WRIS Clearinghouse in a complete, timely, and accurate manner.
4. Ensuring that internal security measures currently in place comply with the confidentiality provisions set forth in the Agreement, and 20 CFR Part 603, that are intended to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of SSNs obtained from PACIAs participating in the WRIS.
5. Ensuring that their employees working with the WRIS comply with the standards and guidelines for the handling of such dataas discussed in Section VIII of this Agreement, as well as any additional rules established by the SUIA, that are consistent with 20 CFR Part 603, to protect the confidentiality of WRIS data.
6. Cooperating with periodic program and confidentiality compliance reviews related to WRIS, aspart of the regular program reviews conducted by ETA. This includes permitting site and record inspections related to WRIS during regular business hours by ETA and/or by representatives of other states participating in the WRIS.
B. PACIAs shall be responsible for:
1. Providing ETA with forms properly executed by all PACIA employees authorized to use the WRIS in which such employees acknowledge their understanding of the confidential nature of Wage Data, the standards and guidelines for the handling of such dataas discussed in Section VIII of this Agreement, and their obligation to comply with such standards and guidelines in carrying out their WRIS duties.
2. Presenting to the WRIS only those Requests for Wage Data allowable under the terms of this Agreement.
3. Ensuring that their employees working with the WRIS comply with the standards and guidelines for the handling of Wage Dataas discussed in Section VIII of this Agreement, as well as any additional rules established by the PACIA, that are consistent with 20 CFR Part 603, to protect the confidentiality of WRIS data.
4. Preparing Aggregate Statistical Data from Wage Data received through the WRIS, for use in preparing PACIA program performance reports and individual records (WIASRD data) for the USDOL according to dates established in reporting guidelines issued by ETA. Individual records will not be accompanied by SSNs or names that would identify the individuals.
5. Providing individuals with Aggregate Statistical Reports on the results of past participants of specific training programs, so that those individuals may make informed training choices.
6. Cooperating with periodic program and confidentiality compliance reviews related to WRIS, as part of the regularprogram reviews conducted by ETA. This includes permitting site and record inspections related to WRIS during regular business hours by ETA and/or by representatives of other states participating in the WRIS.
C. ETA shall be responsible for the overall administration and management of the WRIS, which shall include the following:
1. Communicating with states, other federal agencies, the Congress, and other interested public and private parties regarding the operation and value of the WRIS.
2. Facilitating the confidentiality of Wage Data exchanged through the WRIS by obtaining executed WRIS Data Sharing Agreements from participating states, enforcing requirements regarding employee passwords and usernames, revising the WRIS Data Sharing Agreement as appropriate, and notifying the participating states of agreed-upon changes to the WRIS Data Sharing Agreement, training WRIS staff in confidentiality requirements, and responding to questions and complaints about the confidentiality of the Wage Data exchanged through the WRIS. To further ensure the confidentiality of the Wage Data exchanged through the WRIS, ETA shall contract for an outside party to conduct Confidentiality Compliance Reviews to monitor the parties’compliance with the confidentiality requirements of the Agreement and to provide feedback and findings to the subject party on how its processes can be improved to better safeguard the Wage Data as required.
3. Continuously improving the WRIS in collaboration with the Operations Contractor, and the participating WRIS states. In some instances, this may include amending the Agreement in accordance with the procedure outlined in Section X of this Agreement.
4. Providing information to the participating states on the WRIS operation and its value in meeting performance measures and reporting requirements.
5. Developing and coordinating a process for the distribution of research proposals to the impacted WRIS states for consideration, and a method to govern the disposition of the proposals generated by a PACIA or ETA. All research and evaluation proposals submitted to ETA must specify the uses to which the WRIS data will be put and must demonstrate a direct benefit to one or more of the programs or activity described in subparagraphs 1 through 4 of paragraph C in Section VII of this Agreement.
6. Providing grant resources to support the operational infrastructure of WRIS to allow the exchange of Wage Data between participating states.
VII. Operation of the WRIS
The following describes how the WRIS operates, including how Requests for Wage Data are submitted and processed:
A. The SUIA shall submit to the Operations Contractor in a timely manner the SSNs of all individuals for whom employers have reported wages for a period identified by the Operations Contractor. Such transmissions shall be made no later than the quarterly upload date established by the Operations Contractor.
B. The data obtained from the SUIAs will be grouped by reporting state and included in the DDBI by the Operations Contractor.
C. A PACIA transmits a Request for Wage Data to the WRIS Clearinghouse containing SSNs. A PACIA may make Requests for Wage Data for the following purposes:
1. To obtain Wage Data for performance and reporting requirements for state and local programs within the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor authorized under: (i) Title I of the Workforce Investment Act; (ii) Section 403(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 USC 603(a)(5)); (iii) Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 USC 2271 et seq.); (iv) Wagner-Peyser Act programs, and (v) Chapter 41 of Title 38 of the United States Code;